Abstract
Today, the circular economy is regarded as a promising alternative for modern economies to preserve “virgin” natural resources for future generations by valorizing waste materials. The concept is also used to promote the goals of sustainable development, where, apart from the environmental dimension, the economic and social dimensions are also integrated. So far, the largest part of the related research has emphasized the environmental and economic dimensions, while little attention has been paid to the social dimension of circular economy. Thus, this paper develops a framework to evaluate the social impacts of circular products and materials throughout their life cycle, which is based on social life thinking, circular economy principles and strategies and social responsibility principles. Moreover, computational examples are presented to show the functionality and applicability of the proposed framework. Finally, critical points for future research are pinpointed in order to assist scholars in applying and improving such frameworks through case studies, helping them to better understand the social aspects of circular economy.
Highlights
Academic Editor: Roope HusgafvelThe concept of circular economy (CE) has gained great recognition from many scholars and practitioners over the last few decades [1,2,3] as an effective tool, method, technique and theory to achieve win–win solutions, such as economic opportunities and environmental protection [4,5,6,7,8]
The main goal of CE is to shift the focus of the current production system from the linear logic of “take, produce, consume and dispose” to “close the loop”, where the end-of-life products return to the production stage and interventions are made throughout the technical or biological cycles of materials
The social dimension of CE has been examined by Padilla-Rivera et al [15] through
Summary
The concept of circular economy (CE) has gained great recognition from many scholars and practitioners over the last few decades [1,2,3] as an effective tool, method, technique and theory to achieve win–win solutions, such as economic opportunities and environmental protection [4,5,6,7,8]. A large part of the international literature has focused on CE’s ability to contribute to sustainable development [9,10]. Studies have analyzed how and when the concept of CE is able to contribute to economic development, environmental preservation and social cohesion [11,12]. Though the current literature places great emphasis on the environmental and economic dimensions, there is limited research on the social dimension [2,13,14].
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